Hook feeding apparatus



J. FIEDLER ETAL HOOK FEEDING APPARATUS July 7, 195 9 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1956 INVENTORS Jack Fie d|er BY mason REM/5R a; A A

July 7, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May '22, 1956 INVENTORS. Jock Fiedler, BY Gmso v fizz/van ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,893,338 HOOK FEEDING APPARATUS Jack Fiedler, Bronx, and Garson Reiner, Irvington-on-the-Hudson, N.Y.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in the automatic feeding of hooks and positioning of hooks upon a piece of material to which piece of material the hooks are sewn.

- In many applications, particularly in the garment field, a fastening device consisting of a hook and eye is used, as is well known. The eye consists of a simple loop of wire anchored in one side of a closure, and the hook consists of a retaining frame combined with a hooked shoulder for engaging the eye, the retaining frame providing means whereby the hook may besecured to the other side of the closure. In practice it has been found convenient to sew a great number of hooks properly spaced to a continuous strip of material, the strip. subsequently being cut up into convenient lengths for affixation to the garment proper, rather than sewing the hooks directly to the garment.

' 'The operation of preparing such a strip presents one who would mechanize the described operation with significantproblems. It is necessary that the strip be fed in intermittent fashion under a sewing machine, movement of the strip stopping when a hook is to be sewn to the strip.' This feed must be'synchronized with the feeding of hooks to sewing position on the strip. The sewing machine must also form part of the train, and its operation must not interfere with the feed either of strip or hooks, and yet must assume sewing position when a hook has been introduced to proper positionon the strip. With the sewing machine assuming sewing position at a given instant, and the strip being regulated in its feed to stop at the same instant at the appropriate position for affixation of a hook, assurance must be had that a hook will be prese'nted for affixation at that instant. It therefore becomes necessary to provide means for a guaranteed flow of hooks, in the absence of which, p'aratu's is 'cut off.

It is, accordingly, the primary object of this invention to provide an apparatus for use in a continuous operation involving the'atfixation of hooks to a strip of material, in which hooks are presented singly to sewing position, a regular presentation being guaranteed in thelabsence of which, operation of the entire machine is stopped. V Recognizing that some conveying means in the nature of a chute is to beused, it is, a further object. herein to make provision for movement of hooks to the headof the chute in such manner that the hooks will fall freely thereinto and be emitted from the other end in proper orientation for attachment to a strip.

Still another object is to make provision for the feeding of hooks to the head of the conveying means at a rate which is not much greater than is necessary to keep the conveying means full. A further object is to make provision for the automatic'removal of hooks which reach the head of the conve'ying means in an improperly oriented condition, so that the; feed. is to a large extent self'correcting.

operation of the whole ap- 2,893,338 I Patented July 7, 1959 r6 C I A still further object is to provide that hooks will be delivered singly to sewing position at the working surface.

How these and many other objects are to be implemented will become clear through a consideration of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a side view of the entire hook feeding appa ratus;

Fig. 2 is a section at 2-2 of Fig. 1; V

Fig. 3 is a section at 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing a plan view in the vicinity of the turntable portion of the apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a section at 44 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a section at 5-5 of Fig. 4.

A'motor 10 furnishes a power source for the rotation of hopper 11. A takeoff belt 12 runs between the motor and fly wheel 13, which rotates shaft 14. Eccentrically mounted on shaft 14 is an arm 15 which at its other end is slidably pinned by pin 16 into keyway 17. Keyway 17 is included within tail portion 18 of face plate 19 of slip clutch 20. The slip clutch 20 controls rotation of a shaft 21 upon which is mounted a spiral ring gear 22, which meshes with a second spiral ring gear 23 mounted on the rotatable shaft 24 upon which the hopper 11 is mounted. By this train of mechanical components, provision is made for interrupted rotation of the hopper rather than a smooth continuous rotation thereof. Primarily, this is accomplished through the eccentrically mounted arm 15 and slip clutch 20. As shaft 14 rotates, the tail portion 18 is rocked back and forth, causing face plate 19 to move about its own axis. The effect of this is that as the tail portion is rocked in the direction of the arrow pointing counterclockwise in Fig. 1, the hopper is caused to turn, but such turning ceases when the tail portion begins to rock clockwise, for the slip clutch is so constructed that upon this motion of the tail portion, the face plate 19 disengages shaft 21.

Spaced about the hopper 11 are apertures 25. In operation, the hopper is charged with a load of hooks, and as the hopper rotates, hooks are discharged through the apertures 25, falling into slide 26 which carries the hooks onto the top surface of turntable 27. Hooks of the character handled by the apparatus are shown at 28, each having a hooked shoulder 29 and retaining frame 29a.

The motor 10 also furnishes the power for rotating turntable 27. As may best be seen in Fig. l, belt 30 runs between the motor and flywheel 31, which is mounted on shaft 32. The shaft 32 carries as well a gear 33 which meshes with gear 34, the last mentioned gear being carried on shaft 35 which is fixed into turntable 27, so that rotation of shaft 32 causes rotation of the turntable. Reference has already been made to the progress of hooks 28 from hopper 11 through slide 26 onto turntable 27. Extending across the top of the turntable is a curved arm 36. Also appearing on the top surface of v I the turntable, at the center thereof, is a hub 37. The

curved arm 36 is mounted at its straight end upon a pin 38, which pin is spring loaded to urge the curved arm 36 toward the hub 37. Spacing of the curved arm 36 from the hub is maintained and may be adjusted by means of set screw 39 which is mounted in the curved arm and 3 this ring having the same diameter as the turntable. Circumferentially mounted along a portion of the periphery of the ring 40 and spaced therefrom by spacer block 41 is a pickup strip 42. The function of strip 42, which is spaced from ring 40 just far enough that the retaining frame 29a of a hook may fit therebetween, is to engage the hooked shoulder 29 of a hook 28, while the retaining frame 29a, of the hook falls into the space between ring 40 and strip 42, this orienting the hooks. This normal positioning is best seen in Fig. 3. A block 42a is mounted alongside strip 42 to provide an aid for hooks in assuming the normal position. Should a hook adopt a ditferent position upon falling to strip 42, means are provided to correct the positioning or to eject that hook, as will be hereafter described. Regularly spaced about and mounted upon the periphery of the turntable is a series of lugs, each lug being designated by the numeral 43. As the hooks are engaged by strip 42, and rotation of the turntable proceeds, each lug wil move a hook along on the strip until the hook reaches chute 44, at the edge of which, strip 42 terminates. The hook will drop into the chute and be carried thereby to a position for sewing. The chute is formed by a bottom strip 45 and two spaced undercut 46 and 47 top strips mounted thereon.

It is apparent that only if the hook reaches the chute in the normal positioning referred to above, will it drop into the chute and travel downwardly. Two expedients are provided to deal with situations where the disposition of a hook is otherwise. A wheel 48, having a frictional surface as of rubber, is mounted to be freely rotatable on spring loaded arm 49, the surface of the rotatable wheel 48 being in contact with the peripheral surface of the turntable just above the series of lugs 43. Should any portion of a hook extend above the lugs, which would not normally be the case, the frictional surface of the wheel will engage that portion of the hook, carrying it past the chute 44, whereupon it releases, the hook to drop into the catch box 50. The second expedient provided is in the nature of a movable extension 51 of top strip 46, this extension being mounted at the top of the chute and being held in position by spring loaded arm 52, which normally holds the extension 51 against ring 40. Should there be a jam-up of several hooks at the head of the chute, under the forward urging of the lugs 43, the movable extension 51 would be moved away from the ring 40 to permit the clogging hooks to fall away on inclined surface 53.

As may be seen in Fig. l, the chute 44 leads from the pickup strip 42 down to a work surface 54 where the needle 55 of a sewing machine, not shown, sews them to strips of fabric. Associated with the chute 44 are various means for controlling the feed of hooks, both from the aspect of downward feed to the needle, and also of automatic control of the feed of hooks at the top of the machine. In addition, automatic means are provided to control operation of the machine, so that in the event that the feed of hooks fails, the machine will not operate. These several means will now be described.

As may best be seen from Figs. 1, 4 and 5, this portion of the apparatus is motivated by a cam shaft 60 driven by means not shown, other than motor 10. Dealing first with the cam 61 and associated components, seen at the left in Fig. 4, and at the bottom of Fig. 1, cam 61 is mounted on cam shaft 60. The cam shaft 60 also passes through slot 62 in arm 63, cam follower 64 being mounted on the arm 63. Collar 65 on cam shaft 60 holds the arm 63 in proximity to the cam 61. Spring 66 urges arm 63 to the left in Fig. 1. It will thus be seen that arm 63 is adapted for reciprocating motion. Pivotally mounted at 67 to arm. 63 is the substantially vertical arm 68, which at its other end, at 69, is rigidly secured to a shaft 70. The shaft 79 extends through two plates 71 and 72, one being mounted on either side of the chute 44. Fixed on shaft 70 is a slotted block 73. Detent 75 is pinned within the slot 74 in block 73 in such manner that it is freely rotatable. The point 76 of the detent 75 is adapted to enter the channel of chute 44. Pivotally mounted at one of its ends at 77 on plate 72 is a lever 78. At the other end of lever 78 is fixedly mounted a bar 79, which extends beneath the detent 75 to support and guide the same. A stop 80 is mounted on the side of plate 72 to limit upward rotation of lever 78, in response to the upward urging provided by spring 81 which at one of its ends is secured to lever 78 and at its other end to plate 72.

Cooperating with the action of detent 75 in the regulation of the single feed of hooks through the chute 44, is a pin 85 which may be controlled to pass through aperture 86 in the bottom strip 45 of the chute 44, to extend into the feed channel of the chute to prevent downward motion end to plate 71, so that the control arm 87 is normally urged toward the chute. Mounted on the extension of the pin into control arm 87 is a bar 90 which extends over into the path of an upright pin 91 mounted for reciprocating motion with arm 63.

Through operation of the components just described it is apparent that means have been provided for the feeding of hooks one at a time to the bottom of the chute. At the end of a forward stroke of arm 63, the detent 75 will be pulled out of contact with hooks fed from above, while pin 85 will be in position in aperture 86 to intercept and arrest the descent of hooks in the chute, having been drawn to this position by spring 89. When the arm 63 is then pulled back on its return stroke, the pin 85 will be withdrawn from its aperture 86 as upright pin 91 collides with and draws bar 90 back. At the same time detent 75 will return to intercept the line of descending hooks in the channel of chute 44. The spacing between aperture 86 and the point of contact with the chute of the point 76 of detent 75 approximates the height of one hook. When, therefore, the detent 75 returns to contact with a hook in the chute, and pin 85 is withdrawn, the single lowermost hook formerly supported by pin 85 is released and drops to the bottom of the chute. The function of bar 79 upon which detent 75 rests, which bar is spring loaded, is to permit a certain degree of flexibility in the action of the detent upon entry into the chute. Thus, if instead of entering the chute exactly between two hooks, the detent first contacts the body of one, the point 76 of the detent may shift to fit between two hooks.

The cam shaft 60 also has mounted on it a second cam 95 seen in Fig. 5 and at the right in Fig. 4. The function of parts associated with cam 95 is to control operation of the hopper 11 and turntable 27 to assure that the chute is regularly supplied with hooks, and also to stop operation of the whole machine in the event that the supply of hooks fails. An arm 96 for reciprocating motion under the influence of cam 95, has mounted thereon a cam follower 97, in contact with cam 95. The arm 96 is supported in its reciprocating horizontal movement by bracket 98. A spring 99 is aflixed at one end to arm 96 and at its other end to bracket 98, thus urging the cam follower 97 to maintain its contact with cam 95. A substantially vertical free standing arm 100 is fixedly mounted at 101 to arm 96, and has an upper striker 102 and a lower striker 103 mounted thereon. The purpose of providing strikers having the reciprocating motion which results from the mounting thereof just described will become evident from the ensuing description.

In'the operation of the present apparatus, continuous operation is the aim, and this means continuous feeding of hooks at the bottom of chute 44. To achieve this, it is necessary that the chute 44 be supplied at its top with hooks from the turntable 27, yet while the chute is filled, or at least has present therein enough hooks to sustain continuous operation at the sewing machine needle 55, it would be wasteful to continue feeding hooks to the chute, for the hooks could not go into the chute, but

assas'ss would fall into the catchbox S0. Intermittent operation of the feed to the chute is therefore provided, and such operation is controlled by a switch contact 104 for a normally open microswitch 105, the microswitch 105 governing the activity of motor 10. The switch contact 104 is mounted at one end of a swivel 106 which is pivotally mounted on pivot bar 107. A pin 108 is mounted in the other end of swivel 106. An aperture 109 pierces the bottom strip 45 of chute 44, into which aperture pin 108 may enter and extend into the channel of chute 44. A spring 110 is attached at one end to the swivel 106 and at the other end to the side of the chute 44 so that the swivel 106 is normally urged toward the chute. Thus, when the chute is filled with hooks, the pin 108 may not pass through the apertures 109 to extend into the channel of the chute, for the hooks will block the way, but in the absence of hooks, the pin 108 may so act. When the latter condition prevails, microswitch 105 will be closed to actuate motor 10, and action of the hopper and turntable will begin. A more precise description of operation of the swivel 106 will be delayed until after a description of a parallel mechanism for governing a second microswitch, for both are to some extent subject to common control.

" A switch contact 113 is mounted in one end of a swivel 114, seen below and parallel to swivel 106 in Figs. 4 and 5. The swivel 114 is pivotally mounted on pivot bar 107, and has mounted at its other end a pin 115 which may pass into aperture 116 in the bottom strip 45 of chute 44, and extend into the channel of the chute. A spring 117 is attached at one end to swivel 114 and at its other end to the side of chute 44 to urge the swivel toward the chute. When a hook is present within the chute in such position as to obstruct aperture 116, the pin 115 may not extend into the chute, but in the absence of a hook so located, the pin may enter the chute. When the pin does so enter, the switch contact 113 will make contact with microswitch 118 which controls operation of the sewing machine (needle 55). Normally this switch is closed so that the sewing machine will operate, but upon contact by switch contact 113, operation of the sewing machine will be stopped. Microswitch 118 controls not only operation of the sewing machine, but motor 10, which operates hopper 11 and turntable 27, as well. Microswitch 118 as well as microswitch 105 must be closed in order that motor operate. The purpose of the mechanism described in this paragraph thus is to assure that the machine will stop operation of the supply of hooks to the working surface is about to fail.

It is now apparent that the purpose of vertical arm 100 is to operate with swivels 106 and 114 in order that they may perform their respective functions. The swivels are normally urged toward the chute by springs 110 and 117 respectively. Upon the forward stroke of arm 96, the strikers 102 and 103 are brought into contact with the two swivels 106 and 114, causing them to pivot about pivot bar 107 against the tension exerted by springs 110 and 117. Such motion is limited by a stop 119. When the arm 96 then moves into its return stroke, the swivels are released, and under the influence of springs 110 and 117, return to attempt to introduce the pins 108 and 115 into apertures 109 and 116 respectively. If pin 108 does enter into the channel of chute 44 due to an absence of hooks at this location, motor 10 will be turned on. If pin 115 makes such entry into aperture 116 due to an absence of hooks at this location, the whole machine will be turned ofi.

While we have described a specific embodiment of our machine it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

'1. A hook feeding machine for delivering hooks to a working surface comprising a rotatable hopper for the storage of hooks in bulk, hook orienting means, a horizontally disposed turntable, a drive for said turntable, means for conveying hooks upon escape from said hopper to said turntable, deflector means above said turntable whereby upon rotation of said turntable, hooksupon the surface thereof will be brought into contact with said deflector means, and upon further rotation of said tumtable, led from the surface of said turntable to said hook orienting means, chute means adjacent said hook orienting means for conducting hooks to said working surface, and transport means for delivering said books from said orienting means to said chute means, said transport means comprising a plurality of spaced lugs mounted on the peripheral surface of said turntable for rotation therewith, said lugs being positioned just above said orienting means, whereby upon rotation of said turntable, said lugs will sweep hooks engaged upon said orienting means to said chute, said orienting means positioning books so that they will fall freely into said chute means for transfer to sewing position on said working surface, guard means for the removal from the head of said chute of disoriented hooks carried thereto by said transport means, said guard means comprising a follower wheel situated above said chute and having a resilient circumferential surface, said wheel being spring loaded and bearing against the side of said turntable for rotation with said turntable, whereby disoriented hooks swept from said orienting means to chute and having a resilient circumferential surface, said the side of said turntable, until they are carried past said chute means.

2. A book feeding machine for delivering hooks to a working surface comprising a rotatable hopper for the storage of hooks in bulk, hook orienting means, a horizontally disposed turntable, a drive for said turntable, means for conveying hooks upon escape from said hopper to said turntable, deflector means above said turntable whereby upon rotation of said turntable, hook-s upon the surface thereof will be brought into contact with said deflector means, and upon further rotation of said turntable, led from the surface of said turntable to said hook orienting means, chute means adjacent said hook orienting means for conducting hooks to said working surface, and transport means for delivering said hooks from said orienting means to said chute, said transport means comprising a plurality of spaced lugs mounted on the peripheral surface of said turntable for rotation therewith, said lugs being positioned just above said orienting means, whereby upon rotation of said turntable, said lugs will sweep hooks engaged upon said orienting means to said chute means, said orienting means positioning hooks so that they will fall freely into said chute means for transfer to sewing position on said working surface, said chute means comprising a bottom strip and undercut side strips mounted thereon to provide a channel, and including guard means for the removal from the head of said chute of disoriented or accumulated hooks carried thereto by said transport means, said guard means comprising a movable portion of one of said side strips at the top of said chute, a spring loaded arm upon which said movable portion is mounted so that said movable portion is normally held in position against said bottom strip but may be pushed away therefrom upon rotation of said transport means against an accumulation of hooks at the head of said chute.

3. A hook feeding machine for delivering hooks to a working surface comprising a rotatable hopper for the storage of hooks in bulk, hook engaging and orienting means, a horizontally disposed turntable, a drive for said turntable, means for conveying hooks upon escape from said hopper to said turntable, deflector means above said turntable whereby upon rotation of said turntable, hooks upon the surface thereof will be brought into contact with said deflector means, and upon further rotation of said turntable, led from the surface of said turntable to said hook orienting means, chute means for conducting hooks to said working surface, and transport means for delivering said hooks from said orienting means to said chute, said orienting means positioning hooks so that they will fall freely into said chute means for transfer to sewing position on said working surface, and wherein said hopper and said turntable are driven by a motor, and including control means for operation of said hopper and turntable comprising a swivel mounted on a pivot, a switch for regulation of said motor, a pin mounted on one end of said swivel for entry through an aperture into said chute, a switch contact mounted at the other end of said swivel for closing said switch upon making contact therewith, and reciprocating means for periodic pivoting of said swivel in such manner that in the absence of hooks within said chute, said pin will pass through said aperture into said chute, said switch contact then closing said switch to begin operation of said motor, but said switch contact being held out of contact with said switch when hooks are present within said chute at said aperture.

4 A hook feeding machine for delivering hooks to a working surface comprising a rotatable hopper for the storage of hooks in bulk, hook engaging and orienting means, a horizontally disposed turntable, a drive for said turntable, means for conveying hooks upon escape from said hopper to said turntable, deflector means above said turntable whereby upon rotation of said turntable, hooks upon the surface thereof will be brought into contact with said deflector means, and upon further rotation of said turntable, led from the surface of said turntable to said hook orienting means, chute means for'conducting hooks to said working surface, and transport means for delivering said hooks from said orienting means to said chute, said orienting'means positioning hooks so that they will fall freely into said chute means for transfer to sewing position on said working surface and including drive means for a sewing machine, a swivel, a switch for shutting off said drive rneans, a pin mounted on one end of said swivel for engagement with an aperture into said chute, a switch contact mounted on the other end of said swivel, said drive means being shut off upon contact of said switch contact with said switch, and reciprocating means for pivoting said swivel so that in the absence of hooks within said chute at said aperture, said pin will pass into said chute, and said switch contact will move to contact said switch, but in the presence of hooks within said chute at said aperture, said switch contact will be maintained out of contact with said switch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 674,268 Johnson May 14, 1901 2,252,498 Flaws Aug. 12, 1941 2,337,667 Kuehlman Dec. 28, 1943 2,609,779 Goldsworthy Sept. 9, 1952 2,803,204 Alfandre Aug. 20, 1957 

